"The array of talent is amazing and they each put their own personal touch on their song," Beretta says.

"I still like The Wiggles; when they come out the whole place lifts another notch. Santa's arrival is great as well, and then at the end there's a big medley and we all belt out what we think is singing. Luckily they pretty much turn our microphones off."

Beretta will then spend the holidays at home with his wife Rachel and children Ava, 12, and Dan, 9.

"My kids are getting older but you don't really grow up at Christmas time," he says. "They'll still wake up way too early, run around the house and rush to the Christmas tree to see if Santa's been."

The holidays are also a time to reflect on the past year, which has been a busy one for Beretta. He turned 50 in June and was part of Seven's marathon coverage of the Rio Olympics.

"Rio was my fifth summer Olympic games, and every one you get to go to is more special than the last one," he says.

"To be at the pool the night Kyle Chalmers won the 100m freestyle and to watch the women's rugby sevens team win the gold medal was great.

"This show (Sunrise) has given all of us not only incredible friendships but experiences we would never have had."

He promises even bigger and better things on the breakfast show next year.

"This year was as pretty amazing, but 2017 looks incredible," he says.

"We're building up to something big, potentially bigger than our around the world in five days trip."

The magic of live television has yet to wear off for the veteran broadcaster, who is also a 10-times Australian water-ski champion.

"We're live for nearly four hours every day and stuff just happens," he says. "That's part of the magic of what we do. You can't predict what's going to happen. You just push on."